Mount Tai

Chapter 20: Mount Tai

Mount Tai stood lofty and profound, its presence majestic and imposing. Revered as the foremost of the Five Great Mountains, it was known as the First Mountain under Heaven.

The entertainment portion of their class reunion, three years after graduation, was climbing Mount Tai.

Ye Fan and the others rested at the hotel for the night before beginning their ascent of Mount Tai the next day.

From the Sacrifice Ground, passing through the imperial palace of Dai Temple, and reaching the Heaven-Sealing Jade Emperor Peak, it formed a ten-kilometer axis of Underworld—human world—Heaven.

By evening, everyone had finally climbed to Mount Tai's summit—Jade Emperor Peak.

Looking down upon the countless mountains below and gazing into the distance at the Yellow River, they suddenly understood the true meaning of "climb Mount Tai, and the world seems small."

At that moment, the setting sun shone from the west, gilding the cloud-wreathed peaks with golden edges that gleamed like rare treasures.

Such magnificent scenery could not help but intoxicate the beholder.

Just as everyone was absorbed in Mount Tai's scenery, an ill-timed voice suddenly rang out—

"You climbed so slowly. You only got here now!"

Everyone turned to look, and they were immediately astonished.

"Zhou Tong? When did you get here?"

"Haha, you little tyrant! You came up early and didn't even tell us!"

"Ye Fan said earlier that you'd be climbing Mount Tai with us. I never expected you to climb it like this! As expected of the person in our class with the best physique—you must have gotten here ages ago!"

"Huh? You haven't even broken a sweat? Did you take the cable car up?"

The one who had spoken earlier was Zhou Tong.

The moment he finished speaking, the curious classmates surrounded him, each of them looking him over in amazement.

There had been no news of him at all for the past three years, and everyone had been curious about Zhou Tong, who had once dominated the school.

Zhou Tong chuckled. "Mount Tai only has a little over five thousand steps. It's nothing."

At that moment, Ye Fan also walked over to Zhou Tong, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I thought you were just messing with me earlier. I didn't expect you to really came up ahead of us! How long have you been waiting here?"

"For a while." Zhou Tong smiled faintly.

With his current abilities, climbing Mount Tai was something he could do in minutes.

Not long after obtaining the Purple Sun Lamp, Zhou Tong quickly realized that it was nearly time for Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin to set off, so he naturally left Kunlun Mountain.

When he left Kunlun Mountain, there were still half a month left before this class reunion.

That half month was just enough for him to settle his remaining concerns, such as the matter of his parents in this life.

He first casually refined a jade Buddha and sold it at auction for an astronomical price. Then, he mixed an insignificant trace of the White Tiger Divine Medicine's juice into the two of their cups of water.

The difficulty of extending one's lifespan increased continuously along with cultivation. A trace of the White Tiger Divine Medicine's potency was enough to transform two mortals, extend their lifespans by fifty or sixty years, and perhaps even allow them to have a few more children.

With those two safeguards, his parents would have no worries over food or clothing for the rest of their lives, remain healthy and strong, and live to a ripe old age.

That settled his lingering concerns.

His parents had their own lives, and he had his own pursuits.

After settling those concerns, Zhou Tong did not think much more about it. While refining his Hegemonic Bell, he waited directly atop Mount Tai for the arrival of Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin.

"Hmph, Zhou Tong, you haven't spent these past few years doing anything illegal, have you?" Liu Yunzhi walked over with a gloomy expression and looked at Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong glanced at him. "If I gave up such a promising future, then naturally I had an even greater opportunity."

However, just as Liu Yunzhi was about to speak, the entire Jade Emperor Peak suddenly descended into chaos. Nine enormous black dragon corpses could be seen descending from the sky, pulling a massive bronze coffin behind them.

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief. Even Liu Yunzhi had no mind to keep targeting Zhou Tong.

Boom!

The nine colossal beings fell like nine mountain ranges, shaking Jade Emperor Peak until great fissures split across it. Earth and stone flew everywhere, while dust and sand filled the air.

With a deafening clang, the ancient bronze coffin smashed heavily onto Mount Tai's summit. The mountain trembled as though an earthquake had struck. Many rocks rolled down the slopes, hitting countless people and leaving them bloody and mangled before sending them tumbling down the mountain. Terrified cries and wails erupted everywhere.

The tremors ceased, and the mountain soon calmed down. But Mount Tai had already fallen into complete chaos. Many people stumbled as they fled, and the scene was utterly disorderly. Countless people had blood streaming from their heads as they rushed down the mountain in panic.

"It's here. It's finally here!" Excitement appeared on Zhou Tong's face. He took a deep breath, then rushed directly into the coffin.

Everyone was fleeing in a panic, so no one noticed Zhou Tong's movements. Even if they had, they would not have been able to see them clearly.

After all, he was still a cultivator with combat strength comparable to the Four Extremities Realm.

After entering the bronze coffin, Zhou Tong first looked at the carvings upon it.

As far as the eye could see were ancient ferocious beasts recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas—Taotie, Qiongqi, Taotie, and others. They were massive, savage-looking, and vividly lifelike, inspiring fear at a glance.

Zhou Tong walked some distance along the coffin's interior and soon discovered carvings of figures—ancient ancestors and gods—as well as several star charts.

"These things are rather interesting, but unfortunately... my Divine Mark Purple Gold hasn't been forged into the Hegemonic Bell, nor has it reached the state of communicating with spirits and immortals. I can't copy the Great Dao traces that once existed here." Zhou Tong felt some regret.

This bronze coffin contained supreme Dao laws.

During the Era of the Fallen Emperor, the Corpse Immortal Emperor had obtained the smallest coffin within from here.

During the Immortal Ancient Years, Immortal King Wuzhong and the others had placed the pure divine souls of countless True Immortals from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands within it, to protect them from that world-destroying calamity.

During the Chaotic Ancient Years, the Nameless Quasi-Immortal Emperor's Emperor Fire had also remained within this Bronze Coffin.

Later still, the Desolate Heaven Emperor had left some things inside as well.

Any tiny fragment of the supreme treasures left behind by these great figures would benefit Zhou Tong immensely.

Rumble!

At that moment, an incomparably powerful force suddenly erupted from within the coffin. Even Zhou Tong felt his entire body shake, as though someone were pulling him from behind.

When Zhou Tong came back to his senses, he saw that all his classmates had been dragged into the coffin.

"Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin has already set off." Zhou Tong understood at once.

"But that suction just now... perhaps it was something Ruthless Great Emperor did?" Zhou Tong was suspicious, unable to determine whether it was merely a coincidence or truly the work of Ruthless Great Emperor.

Logically speaking, Ruthless Great Emperor was currently in a state of transformation, her condition extremely unstable. Sometimes she was lucid, and at other times she went mad. Instinctively, Zhou Tong did not believe she could arrange such a scheme.

But if it was a coincidence, it was far too much of one. It was as though Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin had come specifically for Ye Fan.

Forget it... I shouldn't think about this kind of thing. Zhou Tong stopped dwelling on it and instead turned his attention to himself, feeling uneasy.

Come to think of it, I cultivated the Feather Ascension Great Emperor's "Feather Transformation Scripture." When we reach the Primordial Forbidden Land, Ruthless Great Emperor won't mistake me for a remnant of the Feathered Divine Dynasty and slap me to death, will she!? Zhou Tong had not considered this issue while cultivating before.

But now that he thought about it, his entire body turned cold...

Probably not... right? Mm, I just need to cling tightly to Ye Fan in the Primordial Forbidden Land! As long as I get past this, I'll never enter the Primordial Forbidden Land again. Zhou Tong muttered inwardly. The inheritance of the "Feather Transformation Scripture" could not possibly have been completely severed, and Ruthless Great Emperor had never hunted down the remnants of the Feathered Divine Dynasty one by one.

At worst, he could just pass the "Feather Transformation Scripture" on to Ye Fan.